Shenmue: The Animation released earlier this year with a run of 13 episodes. And by all rights, it seemed to be a success for those involved. However, in a twist of fate that feels strangely appropriate for the series, Shenmue: The Animation has seemingly been canceled. This means that, yet again, a story in the Shenmue universe will remain unfinished.
The first inkling that Shenmue: The Animation would no longer continue was from a tweet via @CNschedules on Twitter. It notes that several shows have been removed from Adult Swim’s website, Shenmue: The Animation included. This was then confirmed by Producer Jason DeMarco who pointed out that things don’t look all bad. He says that you “can still watch all of the anime on Crunchyroll and it will still be available as digital downloads.” There’s also the faint hope that a second season of the show could one day happen. But considering the gap between Shenmue II and its sequel, we may be waiting a while.
Shenmue: The Animation getting canceled is sad, but that’s, unfortunately, the position that a lot of shows are in currently. In the blink of an eye, a show can simply disappear from its service, which must certainly feel frustrating to the creators behind the scenes. It’s an annoying position to be in for both creators and the viewers. Plus, there are plenty of series’ that start off pretty rocky and improve over time. But with the way things are, the chances of that happening now are fairly slim.
Sorry guys. This happened. You can still watch all of the anime on Crunchyroll and it will still be available as digital downloads. And yes, it’s looking like no S2 of Shenmue, even though sadly- it did well enough that we were gearing up for S2. Maybe one day… https://t.co/WpM3O6NcSC
— SPIRAL CURSE DEMARCO (@Clarknova1) September 28, 2022
More anime adaptations to come
Shenmue: The Animation may have seemingly been canceled, but there are more video game to anime adaptions to come. In fact, an anime series based on NieR: Automata is on its way and due to release in January 2023. But considering how beloved the game itself is, there’s worry about how it may transition to an anime series. If it does well enough it can hopefully propel the quality of video game adaptations even further. And, fingers crossed, Shenmue: The Animation can get a second chance sooner rather than later.
